


What's Wrong With Me

by Skyla_Schultz



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode
Genre: AU, And Toko realizing her feelings for her, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Hair Brushing, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection and Fluff, It's Sports Day, Mainly focuses on Tokomaru, POV Fukawa Toko, There are two curse words as a result and sex is mentioned twice, Toko and Sayaka Friendship, Toko thinks about her feelings, Ultimate Talent Development Plan (Dangan Ronpa), cuteness, toko being toko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 07:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21453919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyla_Schultz/pseuds/Skyla_Schultz
Summary: "So what was she cursed to get? Maybe if she was lucky she would be tasked with something that could lead to her picking Master Byakuya! Master Byakuya! Master! Byakuya!Toko frowned. That thought wasn't giving her as much joy as it did last year. How strange.Maybe she was coming down with something! Not being glad to be with Master?! What was wrong with her?!She flipped over the slip of paper.Best Friend."This is based off the scene in the Talent Development Plan where Toko gets assigned to find her Best Friend for a scavenger hunt.In other words, Toko being introspective, Komaru cheering her on, and both of them being cute.
Relationships: Fukawa Touko & Maizono Sayaka, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 162





	What's Wrong With Me

Toko was expectantly less than excited for the Sports Festival. It had been absolute torture the past two years, so it was expected that things would be the same this time. Maybe weirdos found enjoyment in running around and being sweaty, but Toko most certainly did not. 

Maybe if she hid she could get out of it. 

Or maybe she could just sneeze...no. She wasn't that desperate. She would have to stick to hiding.

Sadly her attempts were for naught, and the small boobed Junko had dragged her over to the basketball game. A game she didn't remember in the slightest because of her sneezing fit. Seriously, who let the gym be that dusty? 

And now here she was. Outside on the Hope's Peak Academy field about to do a scavenger hunt. Better than something that would get her sweaty. Hopefully it would be something quick and she could finish easily like last year where she was tasked with finding someone who knew how to play an instrument. Sayaka had been easy to find and, it didn't take much more than a simple explanation to get her to come. 

She hoped she didn't get something stupid like trying to find someone who knew what the capital of Morocco was. That would involve asking people. 

Whatever. No matter what she got, there was a low chance she was going to put effort into this. 

Toko took a slip from the teacher she didn't look at twice and stepped away. 

So what was she cursed to get? Maybe if she was lucky she would be tasked with something that could lead to her picking Master Byakuya! Master Byakuya! Master! Byakuya! 

Toko frowned. That thought wasn't giving her as much joy as it did last year. How strange. 

Maybe she was coming down with something! Not being glad to be with Master?! What was wrong with her?!

She flipped over the slip of paper. 

** _Best Friend_ **

This had to be a joke. Best friend? 

She couldn't bring someone who wasn't here. 

Omaru was off at her own school doing her own school things. Inside. Lucky her. 

Her heart clenched at the thought of Komaru. 

What a weird feeling. 

It didn't matter. She needed to be done with this. 

Her eyes landed on Makoto across the field, and she slid off over to him. 

"You work well enough!" She shouted in front of him. 

Makoto flinched back at her voice. "What?" 

"B...Best friend. For...for the scavenger hunt."

Makoto smiled at her confused. "Umm…" 

"You share a last name! Let's go!" 

She grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him towards the checkpoint. Why was he struggling? Didn't they both want to hurry up and get over with this? Isn't that the point of a scavenger hunt?

"W...w...wait! Toko!" Makoto shouted. "I'm part of the scavenger hunt! You can't use me! That's against the rules!" 

Toko looked back at him with disappointment. 

"A...against the rules!? Is it r...really? Or do you just not want to be around a s...smelly, ugly girl like me?" 

Makoto shook his head quickly in panic. "Of course not! I wouldn't lie about the rules!" Makoto sighed and laughed awkwardly. "Were you not paying attention?" 

Toko was not. Why would she pay attention to some stupid rules she didn't care about? Especially when she had listened to them before. 

Why would they change the rules? Stupid Hope's Peak. 

But now this was bad. That took away her back up plan. 

Stupid scavenger hunt. 

Well, there was the chance Makoto was still lying. 

No. Who was she kidding? Makoto wouldn't lie about something like this. She couldn't even kid herself about that. Makoto was such a damn good person he scared her. 

"Fine," Toko relented. "I'll figure something else out. Is it is against the rules to lie?" 

"I think that would ruin the point of a scavenger hunt." 

Figures. It would be useless if she just grabbed the first person she saw and threatened them. 

"Just look around Toko," Makoto continued with his usual smile. "I'm sure you'll figure out something." 

Toko groaned. "What if I just didn't do it? No one's forcing me." 

"No that's wrong! Umm...well, if any member of our class doesn't find something or someone that fits what's on their slip, than our class loses half of our points for the event. And since Byakuya is one of the people doing the scavenger hunt, I'm sure he would be really disappointed in you if you didn't even try." 

"Master!" 

Master would be disappointed?! 

But if Master was doing the scavenger hunt too, than that meant she couldn't use him either. 

"Ergh!" She screamed. "Who am I even supposed to use?!" 

"I'm sure if you look around you'll think of something. Don't give up Toko!" 

With that Makoto left, leaving her alone. 

Great. 

She couldn't disappoint Master. She needed to find some way to finish this stupid game. 

Toko sighed and started walking off to the campus. Maybe if she looked around, she could find someone who fit the description well enough. Or maybe she could complain to the instructor and ask for another slip. 

**Best Friend. **

What were the staff members at this stupid school thinking when they made that? 

It was probably that Yukizome. She looked so flowery and friendship loving. How gross. Why couldn't she understand that some people just didn't have that many friends?

How insulting. 

"Tsumugi. Come with me." 

Toko quickly spun towards the familiar voice. The extremely heavenly voice. 

"Master!" 

Master's face fell into disgust while Tsumugi just looked towards her confused. 

Stupid pretty glasses girl. Always complaining about how plain she was when she had such a good figure. The worst. Apologize to actual ugly girls everywhere! 

"Well, if you need me Byakuya," Tsumugi started, "then you probably need someone with glasses. That's all that can be expected from someone plain like me." 

Plain. Plain. Plain. 

Why was she flirting with Master? 

But...she didn't feel as upset about someone flirting with Master as she did a few months ago. Were her feelings fading?! For Master? Impossible! What was wrong with her?! 

She thought this would only last for a few days, and then a few weeks, but now it had been months! 

How is it even possible for her not to want to be with Master anymore?! He was perfect! 

"Master Byakuya! If you need someone with glasses you could just take me!" She narrowed her eyes, but she could feel that her normal heat wasn't behind them. "Why use that delusional whore?" 

"You don't have to be so mean," Tsumugi complained. 

Toko ignored her. 

Her attention was only on Bya...Master. 

He scoffed. "Don't be stupid. That's against the rules. And when I play, I play to win. Now stop wasting your time here and hurry up. I don't plan to lose because of some useless pig." 

Useless pig! Yes. Hearing that definitely still made her happy. So so very happy. Maybe everything was okay. 

Byakuya walked away with Tsumugi following close behind to the finish line. 

Alright. She couldn't disappoint Master! She needed to prove her love! She just needed to find someone who was decently suitable. Who else at this school could she stand?

…

…

…

There had to be someone! 

She groaned in frustration. 

What was she supposed to do? She needed to hurry up or the time limit would end. 

There had to be someone else she could tolerate! 

Sayaka maybe. She could at least tolerate her, and Toko doubted she would argue with her and refuse to come. She had happily come with her last year afterall. Sayaka may be some pretty, perfect idol girl, but she was bearable. She at least had good taste in literature. She would work. It was the best option Toko had. 

Yeah. She'll go find Sayaka. She was better than nothing. 

Now she just needed to find her. 

Jeez. Such a hassle!

Maybe if she rushed she could find her in time. 

“Oof.” 

Or she could if someone didn’t randomly run into her. 

“W...what are you doing? Watch where you’re going you idiot.” 

The person who ran into her then wrapped her arms around her and tightly squeezed. 

What the heck?! Who was this weirdo? 

“That’s so mean! Is it so bad that I want to hug my best friend who I haven’t seen in months?” 

Wha...what?!

“Omaru?! What are you doing here?” 

Komaru let go of her and jumped up with her signature smile. Toko felt a rare sense of peace fall over her at the sight. 

Didn’t ease her confusion though. 

“It’s the sports festival," Komaru explained. "One of the few times in the year where non-Hope’s Peak’s students are allowed on school grounds. So I decided to visit you and Makoto.” 

Toko wouldn’t have minded a warning. "And you didn’t tell anyone?” 

“I told Makoto. But I wanted to surprise you. I thought it would make you happy.” 

Well, Toko would be lying if she said that her chest didn’t immediately feel lighter. But Komaru didn't need to know that. 

“It...it’s not like I’m not happy. Just surprised.” 

“Well, that was the goal!” Komaru grabbed her hand and started bouncing on her feet. “I’m so excited. I haven’t seen you in three months. I’m so happy.” Komaru let a small squeal of excitement as she wrapped Toko in another hug. 

Toko could feel a smile spread across her face before she quickly forced it back into her neutral expression. If this were anyone else, Toko would have pushed them away and yelled at them. There were probably a bunch of people staring and whispering about it right now. Talking about how coldhearted Toko was accepting a hug or betting on how long it took for Toko to get mad at her. 

But this was Komaru. Komaru was special. Her best friend. And well...her only friend, but that wasn’t important. The point was that Komaru was one of the few people that could hug Toko and Toko would happily hug back. 

“I’m happy to see you too. I...I’ve missed you,” Toko admitted. 

Komaru let go and looked at her with a smile that was somehow even bigger than before. “Aww! Toko. You admitted it.” Komaru grabbed her hands and bounced on her feet. 

Toko frowned and shook off Komaru’s hands. “Whatever.” 

Toko looked away towards the field as she felt her cheeks burn. A counter saying 10 minutes met her eyes, and she immediately remembered what she was supposed to be doing before Komaru barrelled into her like some sort of animal. 

Wait. Komaru!

“Omaru. I need you,” Took loudly announced. 

Komaru tilted her head and stared at her confused, but there was also something else. Something… Something…

Not important. 

Toko held the slip of paper in her hand in between them. “For the scavenger hunt. The slip said best friend.” 

Komaru nodded her head, but there was also something else in her eyes. Disappointment? No. Toko must have imagined it. What would Komaru be disappointed about?

“Then we should run to the finish line!” Komaru announced excitedly. “Where is it?” 

Toko pointed to the timer and the two poles set up around one of the areas on the track. Komaru looked towards it, and her eyes flashed with her typical determined expression. 

“Then we better hurry!” Komaru shouted grabbing Toko’s hand. 

Toko yelped as she was pulled across the field, but soon matched Komaru’s pace. Komaru must be running slowly for her sake. It didn’t take a genius to figure that considering that they were running at the same pace. 

Syo could probably give her a run for her money though. Toko always wondered how that worked. 

But as soon as the thought came she didn’t want to think about it at all. She didn’t want to think about the stupid serial killer possesing her body from time to time more than she had to. Even if Syo had decided to put the killing life behind her, Toko wasn't her biggest fan. 

She decided to focus on Komaru’s hand instead. This was far from the first time Komaru had held her hand. Komaru was definitely a touchy person. But even then! Everytime it happened Toko could feel something pleasant in her chest as her heart sped up. 

The same feeling she got when she thought about Master Byakuya. Or used to think…

No Toko. Not used to. You’re just in a slump. That’s all. Give it some time, and you'll be back to normal. Maybe she needed to spend more time with him. She had started spending less as her classmates started to become slightly tolerable. That was it! Yes! She would definitely do that! Then her problem would be solved! 

Komaru let out a triumphant laugh as the two of them crossed the finish line and ran up to the teacher in charge. Sock or something. 

Komaru happily gave the teacher Toko's name and class and the slip of paper while Toko did her best to catch her breath and slow down her quickly beating heart. 

Once the teacher waved them away, Komaru led her towards the bleachers still holding her hand. 

“Hey Toko?” Komaru started. “What were you planning to do if I hadn’t shown up?” 

Toko let out a sigh. “Find the person I can tolerate the most.” 

Komaru blew out a puff of air and stopped at the bleachers. “And who would that be?” 

“I was going to ask you stupid brother first, but then he told me that using someone who was part of the scavenger hunt was against the rules. And that immediately ruled out Master Byakuya. What a stupid rule!” Toko sighed. “So I went over the people in my class and decided that I can stand Sayaka the most.” 

Komaru sighed dreamily. “It must be so great being friends with Sayaka. You and Makoto are so lucky.” 

Toko bit her lip for a second before responding. “She’s not that great, so you’re not missing out much. And I wouldn’t exactly call us friends. She just sometimes talks to me about books we’ve read during lunch.” 

Komaru let go of her hand and turned around towards her with an intense expression. “It’s Sayaka Maizono! The most famous pop idol in Japan. She’s cute, sweet, and talented. As a proud Sayaker I won’t stand for such ill words.” 

They were pleasant conversations that Toko enjoyed...but she would never admit that. Sayaka wasn't that great, but she wasn't bad either. She was...decent company. A friendly face in this domain of annoying idiots. 

Toko stepped back a step and frowned. She didn't need to tell Komaru any of that. “Whatever.” 

Komaru stared at her for a few seconds before frowning. She looked deep in thought for a second before shifting back to her usual smile. “But...that’s exactly what friends do Toko! Eating lunch together and talking about common interests. That’s the backbone of most friendships. That must mean that you and Sayaka are friends!” 

Toko frowned. “Well, I wouldn’t know that. It’s not like I’m an expert or something. But I really doubt it.” 

Sayaka her friend? Sure. She doubted Sayaka saw her that way truly. Maybe Sayaka wasn't as annoying, and maybe she was nice to her, but behind that kind mask, she was probably just as mean as most people. 

No. Toko needed to stop thinking that everyone was so bad. Komaru kept telling her that. She needed to stop forgetting. 

“Maybe,” Komaru pondered. “Buuuuut! I think she wants to be your friend. So maybe you should do something to tell her you want to be friends too!” 

Tell Sayaka that she wanted to be friends with her?

“I...I’ll think about it.” 

It wasn’t a complete lie. Toko would think about it, but there was no way she was actually going to do something for Sayaka to prove their friendship. Why did Toko even need friends? She got through life perfectly fine without any. Komaru was just an added bonus. 

Got through life perfectly fine? Who was she trying to fool? 

Ugh. Maybe she should try again. Even if Komaru’s idea was stupidly embarrassing, maybe she was on to something. She was definitely the friendship expert between the two of them. 

And if anyone else was going to be Toko’s friend, she wouldn’t mind if it was someone with good taste in literature. 

“That’s great Toko! I’m so glad you’re getting along better with your classmates!” 

She wasn’t wrong about that. She was definitely getting along with more of them than her first year. She didn’t even insult most of them as much as usual. Or maybe this was just her new usual. 

How strange. 

“I...I guess.” What else could she say? 

Komaru smiled sweetly, and Toko couldn’t even suppress herself from smiling too. Why could stupid Omaru do this to her? Was she a witch? Was Toko being mind controlled? And what was this weird feeling in her chest? 

Ugh. How annoying!

"You deserve all the friends in the world. You're really doing your best to get along with people better. And you've been more open with me too. I'm proud. You deserve the best." 

What? What?! How was Toko even supposed to respond to that?! How was Toko supposed to process that?! Her poor heart would never be still after that! 

“Anyway Toko, I didn’t want to say this before, but...umm...you smell horrible.” 

Nevermind. Way to ruin the moment Omaru.

Wait! What did she just say?! 

Toko sneered and pointed an accusatory finger at her. How dare she say something like that all of a sudden? Didn't want to say it before? Make it stay that way!

"Wh...why would you say that now? Urgh! I took a shower three days ago!" 

Komaru put her hands up in a placating gesture with a panicked look on her face. 

"That's not what I meant! You just smell because of being out in the heat for so long!" 

Stupid Sports Day and stupid sweat. This is why Toko stayed indoors. Ugh. 

"Sure Omaru." 

Komaru pouted and let out a whine. "I'm not lying. I was just trying to be helpful." 

Toko sighed and looked down. "Yeah. Whatever. So you want me to get away from you and go take a bath. You could have just said that." 

Komaru stomped her foot down and narrowed her eyes. "That's definitely not what I'm trying to say!" Komaru stared in concentration before relaxing her figure. "Doesn't it feel good to wash up after being covered in sweat and dirt? I thought it would make you feel good." 

Make her feel good? She supposed a good shower felt nice sometimes. Or well, it did when she didn't take it at home. You would think she would be used to having a nice clean shower and enjoying it by now. But that feeling didn't seem to fade so easily. 

How unfortunate. 

"Also!" Komaru shouted cheerfully. "I want to brush your hair!" 

"Huh?!" Toko backed away in surprise. "What's with that strange request?" 

Komaru smiled brightly. "Your hair is really long, so I thought it would be fun. I don't know. I just suddenly have the urge!"

How weird. But Toko couldn't say she was exactly against the idea. She couldn't remember the last time someone brushed her hair. And if it was Komaru…

"Fine." 

Komaru jumped up excited. "Really?!" She grabbed Toko's hand again. "Then let's go go go! Where's your dorm?" 

Toko pointed towards a building in the distance, and Komaru smiled as she picked up her pace. 

"You...you don't have to come with me! I can take a bath on my own! Don't you want to hang out with your brother," Toko grumbled. 

"I'll have dinner with him! Until then, I'm yours." 

"Oh." 

Well, Toko wasn't going to take the effort to complain then. 

Komaru launched into a story about one of her teachers on their way to the dorms. Toko couldn't even force herself to turn the smile on her face into a frown. 

  
  


Toko took her shower as quickly as possible, scrubbing her skin raw to remove the dirt and sweat that had accumulated. She even used the special flowery scented soap that Sayaka had bought her for her last birthday. It did smell good. And maybe she hadn't given her fancy liquid soap just because she smelled bad. But it had to be at least part of the reason! 

She exited the bathroom with a towel over her head, changed into a t-shirt and knee length skirt. It made her feel much better than the stupid physical education uniform. 

Komaru was sitting on her bed doing something on her phone. Her head turned up at the sound of the bathroom door opening and Toko's grumbling. 

Ten minutes later, Komaru was running a hair dryer through Toko's hair, while humming a song that Toko recognized as Sayaka's. Toko was almost offended that she recognized it, but she also knew that not recognizing it would be impossible with Komaru being an avid fan and Sayaka herself being in her class. 

It took about twenty minutes for Komaru to decide that her hair was dry enough. It had been so long that Toko felt like her head skin was going to melt off. Now, Komaru was slowly running a hair brush through Toko's very tangled hair. 

Toko sighed and closed her eyes. Even with the multitude of tangles, Komaru was still somehow gentle enough to only make her wince occasionally. The feeling of the hairbrush against her scalp and Komaru's fingers through her combed out hair was indescribably amazing. 

She needed to find a way to describe this! She was a writer who had wronged the entire industry! How could she publish so many books and not have a single novel with someone combing someone else's hair? This feeling was better than anything she could do to herself with her fingers. 

Toko let out a low moan. Amazing. 

"Umm...Toko?" 

Toko flinched and let out a yelp at the sound of Komaru's voice. 

"Why would you break the silence?" Toko complained. 

Komaru laughed nervously. "You started making weird sounds, and I wanted to know if you were okay." A light blush appeared on Komaru's cheeks.

Toko groaned in frustration. How could she just go and embarrass herself like that? She was so disgusting. Moaning while Komaru combed her hair? What was wrong with her? 

Oh well. This was a fact she had already accepted. She was disgusting. There was nothing she could do to change it. And even if she could, why take the effort? 

Komaru ran another hand through Toko's hair. It took another five minutes for her to announce that she was done getting the tangles out. 

"Finally," Toko mumbled. 

Komaru couldn't know she enjoyed it. She had ruined the moment enough. After this disaster she probably wouldn't want to ever do it again anyway. 

"Your hair is really pretty Toko," Komaru hummed running a finger through Toko's long hair. 

Toko froze and turned around towards her. Pre...pre...pretty?! 

"Wha...what are you saying all of a sudden? Lying isn't very nice you know!" 

Komaru puffed her cheeks into a pout. "I'm not lying. Your hair really is pretty. It's super long and it's such a nice color. You're pretty Toko." 

Toko flinched back with a hand on her heart. "What?!" 

Komaru smiled. That damned smile that didn't do anything to calm Toko's painfully beating heart. 

“You look really pretty with your hair down.” Her eyes sparkled as she reached into her bag. "I have hair clips. Hold still as I put them in.” 

Komaru moved the hair clips into her hair, and Toko did nothing to stop her. It wasn't like Toko was paying too much attention to begin with. 

Pretty? Pretty? She was called pretty by someone. What a strange feeling. What a strange, strange feeling. Komaru must be lying. There was no way. No way. Toko knew what she was. She was a disgusting, ugly girl, and she embraced it. There was no changing that. None!

“There!” Komaru announced moving away. “You look good. I did well if I do say so myself.” 

Komaru pulled out a mirror from her bag and turned it towards Toko. Toko fought the urge to look away. Some silver and purple clips pushed a few stray strands back while the rest was brushed through and flowed down past where the mirror showed. 

She looked different from when she had twin braids, but it wasn’t that different. It was still her. Still normal Toko. Maybe she looked a bit better, but something this simple couldn't cure her ugliness. What was Komaru talking about? 

“Look good?” Komaru asked with a grin. 

Toko stared at her reflection a little longer. “I...I suppose I look better than I usually do.”

The only reason she put her hair in braids was so she didn't have to put as much effort into her hair. Leaving it open would require combing it every day. No reason to put that much effort into something so useless.

Komaru smiled. “Yeah. You look really pretty with your hair down.” 

Pretty again? At this point it was almost like Komaru was mocking her. 

“Stop lying.” 

“Huh?” Komaru lowered her arm with the mirror and tilted her head. 

“Stop calling me pretty! It’s not true. I already know that, and I’ve accepted it. So stop lying. You don’t need to. It more annoying than anything.”

Seriously. She didn’t need some cute girl lying to her face. 

But she definitely wasn’t expecting Komaru to grab her by the shoulders and stare at her angrily. 

“Wha...what the heck!?” Toko shouted. 

Komaru tightened her hold. “I’m not lying.”

Toko scoffed with a glare settling on her face. “Of course you are. I don’t need you to rub that into my face along with your average cuteness. Some people are born below average, and it’s mean to say anything but.” 

Komaru stared for a few more seconds before frowning. “No. That’s wrong. I’m sure that I’m never going to convince you about everyone having something pretty about them, but I really do think that you’re pretty. I’m not lying when I say that.” 

Toko stared at her intensely before letting out a sigh. Of course Komaru did. She was too nice. Why would Toko even think she was lying? She was a horrible liar at her best. 

“You know,” Komaru continued, “I don’t like it when you call yourself ugly. You say it a lot. I haven't said anything before since I wasn’t sure what to say, but that ends today!” Komaru removed her hands from Toko’s shoulders and grabbed her hands instead. “You are not ugly. And when I said you look really pretty with your hair down, I was telling the truth.” 

Komaru’s gaze was so sincere Toko almost agreed with her. Almost. 

“You probably don’t believe me right now, but I’ll tell you as many times as it takes for you to accept the truth.” 

Toko glanced down breaking eye contact. She could feel heat build up on her face and her lips slowly turning up into a smile. 

She felt happy. Really happy. This was the first time anyone had ever called her pretty without it being a joke. What a miracle. Even if Komaru was blind and had no taste in aesthetic, it still felt nice to hear. 

“Say it again,” Toko requested. 

Komaru hummed rubbing her thumbs over the back of Toko’s hand. “You’re pretty Toko. Really, really pretty. Whether you have your hair down or in braids or put on a bright orange dress or whatever. I think you're pretty.” 

Toko sighed unable to hide her happiness. Komaru giggled at the reaction. 

The two of them sat peacefully in the atmosphere that was created until Komaru’s phone started ringing. 

“Huh? Is it 6 already?” Komaru complained as she picked up her phone. 

Sure enough, it was 6:00 now, and an alarm was ringing notifying them of such. That meant Komaru had to leave to go have dinner with her family. 

“I guess I have to go now before my dad starts complaining. Time passed by way too fast!” 

Toko grumbled in disappointment, but the joy of the previous moment stayed in her heart and stopped her from saying anything mean. She could insult Komaru's dad some other day.

“Well, you better tell me how it goes,” Toko answered. 

Komaru raised her right arm up and cheered before hopping off the bed. “Of course. Maybe I’ll be able to visit again during the cultural festival. Then we can spend the whole day together!” 

That sounded fun. Toko never really enjoyed cultural festivals. They were too crowded and too loud and she was always alone in some corner outside trying to write something and drastically failing because of all of the distractions. But...spending the day going around Hope’s Peak while holding Komaru’s hand and eating food and watching the different events going on? That sounded nice. Really nice. 

“Ye...yeah,” Toko answered. 

Komaru giggled again, and Toko could feel another smile come to her face. Jeez, she was smiling way to much. Her face was going to start hurting at this rate. 

“Well, I’ll see you soon then Toko. I’ll miss you.” 

“See you,” Toko answered. Her eyes landed on a box in the corner. “Wait.” 

Komaru watched as Toko walked over to the box and pulled out a book from it. She walked back over and held the book over to Komaru. Komaru grabbed it and read over the cover. 

“This your new book. It isn’t even out yet,” Komaru said surprised. “I don’t have any money.” 

Toko groaned. “I don’t want money.” 

“Huh? But you never give your books away for free.” 

Toko bit her lip for a second and shuffled in place. “Well, I decided to change my mind. I suppose my best friend can have it for free. And well, you give pretty decent reviews. And...and…” Toko shook her head. She wasn’t about to finish that sentence. 'She’ll have a piece of her.' That was way too cheesy. It would be an insult to her entire literary career if she said that. 

Komaru stared at the book before reaching over and wrapping Toko in a hug. Toko gasped before relaxing and wrapping her own arms around her best friend. 

“Thank you!” 

“You’re overreacting.”

But the hug was nice. Toko was not going to reject a hug from Komaru.

Komaru soon let go, and Toko did her best to hide any disappointment she felt.

“I’ll see you soon Toko. Take care of yourself.” 

“Yeah. You too. I...I’ll miss you too.” 

Komaru smiled her signature adorable smile and stalked out of Toko’s dorm room, closing the door behind her. Toko let out a breath and collapsed on her bed. 

What a day. 

First the torture of the Sports Festival and then everything with Komaru. And all of those stupid confusing feelings. Ugh. 

Why did she have to think of that? Stupid feelings are stupid. First her weird feelings around Master, and then Komaru. 

And Komaru called her pretty. That feeling was even better than when she was insulted. That feeling in her heart. Nothing could possibly top that. It was an even happier feeling than when she was with Master. 

Toko's eyes widened, and she sat up in bed. 

Wait.

Fading feelings for Master. Happy, butterfly feelings when she was with Komaru. 

No. That had to be a coincidence. There was no way. Think rationally Toko. When was the first time she remembered her feelings for Master being weaker? A few months ago. Now that she thought about it, that was all the way back in April. April? That was almost six months ago? How did so much time pass by so fast?! 

Was she...were her feelings really fading? 

When did she notice her weird feeling for Komaru?She knew that one. It was in August during a video chat where Komaru was rambling about the new issue of The Bomb Inside Her. So two months ago almost. 

So that really was it. Her feelings for Master were disappearing. She was betraying him. She was betraying Master by having feelings for Komaru! Complete betrayal. She should be punished for this. 

Betrayal? Who was she kidding? Byakuya hated her guts. She wasn't that delusional. 

But it didn't matter! As long as she was able to stay by his side she didn't care. Just that alone would make her happy. 

That thought didn't seem all that appealing. 

No. What was she saying?! Of course it seemed appealing. What else could she possibly want in a romantic partner? He was hot, smart, rich, and he insulted her every turn. He called her a nasty pig. What more could she possibly want? 

She wanted Komaru to call her pretty. And brush her hair. And hold her hand. And smile at her. And hug her. And Toko could so clearly imagine the scene. Komaru pinning her to a bed, straddling her hips, and leaning down into her ear and calling her a disgusting pig. 

What was she thinking?! 

But...but it did sound nice. 

Komaru. Being with Komaru sounded nice. 

How did this even happen? 

Toko groaned loudly and collapsed back down onto her bed. So confusing. So utterly confusing. 

These feelings weren't the same as they were for Master Byakuya. With Master she felt like she wanted to do everything he said to make him happy even if she wasn't. 

But Toko wanted to be happy. 

Komaru was really rubbing off on her. Wanting Toko to be happy. Being proud of her. 

Toko wanted to make her proud. That was the same as with Master, but...Komaru made her proud too. That was it. They were equal. Maybe that's what Toko wanted with Komaru. 

She wanted to make Komaru happy and Komaru made her happy too. She supposed that was what they always said love was. And Toko wanted it. She was a disgusting ugly girl…

No. Komaru didn't want her thinking that. Toko could do better. Maybe she could never be some pretty, popular girl that everyone loved, but Komaru had called her pretty, so maybe it was possible for Komaru to like her? 

And even if Komaru didn't, Toko could stop denying how happy she made her. Toko could at least do her best to make Komaru happy too. And Toko could do her best to keep trying hard to be happy. 

Even with all the shitty hands she'd been dealt and all the less than favorable life experiences, maybe now she could have a little hope. 

Jeez. Komaru's stupid brother was rubbing off on her too. 

Maybe that wasn't too bad of a thing though.

The loud sound of Toko's stomach growling pulled her out of her thoughts. Right. She should eat dinner. Going to sleep hungry was not something on her list of things to do today. 

Toko lazily got up and changed into something she could wear in front of strangers before grabbing her things and making her way to the dining hall. She quickly picked up whatever she could grab first from the line and went over to the seating area.

There weren't too many people there. Most people were probably either with family or had already eaten. It was nearing 7:30 after all. The only people from Toko's class who were there were Sakura, Sayaka, and Ma...Byakuya. 

Toko stared at Byakuya's table for a few seconds before walking past and setting her tray down in front of Sayaka. 

"He...hello Sayaka," Toko greeted. 

Sayaka looked up and smiled. "Hello Toko. Your hair is open." 

Toko sat down. "Umm...yeah. Komaru did it." 

Sayaka stared with a wide smile. "It's my first time seeing your hair out of its usual braids. You look really nice." 

Toko had to force herself to not say that Sayaka was lying. She needed to think better. She was trying to be friends. 

"Thank you," Toko answered shortly before changing the subject. "Did you...did you enjoy sports day?" 

Sayaka gave her a curious look before softly smiling and starting to explain how her day went. Toko did her best to listen attentively and gave comments whenever she seemed they fit. By the time they were done with their meals, Toko could say that she was enjoying herself at least somewhat. 

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up longer than I imagined. I was thinking maybe 3000 to 4000 words at most. Oh well. I'm happy with how this turned out, and I enjoyed writing it.  
I'm planning to make this a series with either 2 or 3 more oneshots since I have ideas. I'm not sure when I'll finish writing the next one, but I already have it thought out, so it's just a matter of writing and posting it. Winter Break is coming soon, so I'm hoping to be able to write them in January.  
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!  
If you did, please leave comments and kudos!  
I hope you all have a great day/night wherever you are!!!


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